Itinerary #13 We are not alone Competences 2.1 Interacting 3.1 Developing 5.3 Creatively through digital digital content using digital technologies technologies 3.2 Integrating and re- 2.2 Sharing elaborating through digital digital content technologies 2.4 Collaborating through digital technologies 2.5 Netiquette Tags Time frame Audience • Friendship 6 hours Age 11 - 17 • Self-expression • Hate speech in video games PLAY YOUR ROLE ― TOOLKIT 178 PLAY YOUR ROLE ― itinERARY #13 179 Overview Context Required Media This itinerary begins by observing the In the first part of the itinerary students Thomas Was Alone video game. It is are asked to make a self-portrait. Often apparently a very simple, minimal this activity is not experienced very video game, but very profound and willingly, but in this case it is a very which allows you to think about a very "abstract" portrait, made of geometric important aspect: how we perceive our shapes, so it should not find too much personality and that of others. Each resistance. Students still have to talk about person is complex, it is not attributable to themselves, telling their personality. In a single characteristic or peculiarity, and the second part, the use of Instagram is this should sensitize us towards a greater proposed: a medium that students will understanding and empathy towards probably appreciate and will be able to others. At the beginning, therefore, the use. Even the final part, the creation of an students try to describe the complexity avatar, could be a fun moment but also of their character through a self portrait. of restitution and understanding of the Thomas Was Alone Subsequently the students are invited to itinerary experienced together. Thomas Was Alone is a video game each characterized by a color and some reason on the themes of video games in which puzzles have to be solved to peculiarities: Thomas is a red rectangle and the hate speech faced during game. overcome the various levels. To help the that questions the meaning of life, Chris is A social campaign is proposed in which Objective player, there are the unique abilities of short and wide and manages to slip into to spread news and data, or the use of the various characters, funny artificial tunnels inaccessible to others, Claire it Instagram as a vehicle for thoughts and The activity aims: intelligences with colored geometric is very large and can float on water, and reflections related to the theme. In the end, • Raise empathy for others by shapes with different personalities, so on. The player can control the various students are asked to create their own understanding the complexity of who work together to face the various characters to overcome the different avatar through an online platform, which personalities challenges and reveal the meaning of challenges facing him: high places to conveys a message, a thought that they • Understand how a social network can their existence. It is a simple game visually reach, ponds to cross, elements to push consider important and that they have be a useful tool for conveying positive and mechanically, but with contents that and much more. To deal with all this, you understood throughout the itinerary. and constructive messages lead to empathy towards the characters, need to put your own strength on the • Be able to communicate clearly and also thanks to a very brilliant narration different characteristics of the characters effectively important content relating and dubbing. The video game is paid and make the most of them by combining to video games and hate speech and it is available for many platforms: them. This is the only way to reach the exit Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 3, point of each level. PlayStation Vita, Linux, iOS, Android, Xbox Although apparently it may not seem One, PlayStation 4, Wii U. so, Thomas Was Alone is a game about Thomas Was Alone is an independent friendship, collaboration, self-acceptance, video game born from a Game Jam in diversity and respect. The game can 2010, developed by Mike Bithell, distributed be finished in a few hours, but it offers for the major game systems starting from interesting and profound moments, 2012, with subsequent publications for despite the fact that everything is other platforms and consoles. It is a puzzle represented by geometric shapes and few / platformer game with a hundred levels to colors: narration and dubbing humanize overcome; the player controls characters the characters to the point of being able represented by simple geometric shapes, to become attached to them. PLAY YOUR ROLE ― TOOLKIT 180 PLAY YOUR ROLE ― itinERARY #13 181 Working Methods In this itinerary students are asked to tell and third parts, it is important to assist their personalities, at least in the initial students in the research of the topics and part. Probably, in the part of the restitution, themes to be treated and communicated. there could be moments when someone It is important to "slow down" their “method decides to open up more. The suggestion of working with Instagram” for a moment, is to listen, and invite everyone to do it, and to spend a lot of time on what you without judging, but only by guiding and are about to post, share. It is important to mediating. For some it may be a delicate make them understand that a post can moment and therefore we must build be something light, but also something a protected and safe environment in very heavy and important, and therefore which we can feel at ease. In the second should not always be taken aback. SEgmEnt 1 Overview end of the short presentation we can ask if In this segment we introduce the video according to them it is possible to present game Thomas Was Alone and propose oneself through a single peculiarity of students a self-portrait activity one's character. Of course it will emerge how each person is made up of various Time: 2 hours traits and characteristics, which constitute Voki its uniqueness. At this point we can tell Voki is an online software (www.voki.com) You can make written text read by an Media them that we will see a video game that permit to create custom avatars and automatic voice, record it directly or The video game Thomas Was Alone together, and we will try to understand give them voice. The use is very simple: upload an audio file. The free version what it is about. once connected to the site, click on "try allows you to record or insert tracks no Equipment it" and you will arrive in the editor. On the longer than one minute. In this way it A platform (console or computer) to run This itinerary proposes to start from left there are various useful elements to is therefore possible to create avatars Thomas Was Alone - or a computer to the video game Thomas Was Alone. It is create the avatar: the background, the that speak and that carry a message; show videos; white sheet of paper, scissors important to start right from the game general appearance, the clothing and at the end of the creation you can and glue; pen and post-it because it allows to observe some other details. You can also click on the dice share the avatar - by clicking on "save" reactions of the students. For example, to randomly generate the avatar. There - ​​via Facebook, Twitter, email or by We can begin this activity with a short it is interesting to observe what kind of are also ready-made celebrities, animals, sharing a link. presentation of the students that brings interpretation they give to the game, to fantastic creatures and much more. The On the site you can also find tips and us immediately to one of the themes of the characters and to the situations; this last button on the bottom left allows you applications for using Voki in teaching. the workshop. In addition to the name interpretation could correspond to ours to add audio. (in case we didn't know them) we ask or it could be different, and surprise us. them to introduce themselves using Let them observe what is happening on only an adjective, which describes their the screen, with their times, trying not personality. We try to stimulate choices to impose a vision but to stimulate their and alternatives that go beyond the usual observation. Secondly, we can naturally "nice" and that are more distinctive. At the offer them our interpretation, specifying PLAY YOUR ROLE ― TOOLKIT 182 PLAY YOUR ROLE ― itinERARY #13 183 Working Methods Working Methods that in this case the author himself has Thomas thinks that all the challenges because of his strange color and behavior. After presenting the characters, we ask constructed the narrative precisely to he faces are one training, as if the When he knows Thomas and the others students to work on their self-portrait. This suggest this particular reading. world was testing it. And he wants begins to understand that he is not that is an individual work, which will be done Depending on the platform we have to prove he is up to it. He is a confused bad and starts to accept himself, even on a white sheet of paper, with glue and available to play, we organize short game character, it also keeps track of anything (it if he remain a bit "weird" in the eyes of scissors. We distribute to students the sessions in which students can take turns, appears to be obsessive compulsive). others. photocopies of the form with the various so that more people can play.